Bharat FC
 |
|
| Full name | Bharat FC |
|---|---|
| Founded | 26 August 2014 |
| Ground |
Balewadi Sports Complex Pune, Maharashtra |
| Capacity | 12,000 |
| Owner | Kalyani Group |
| Managing Director | Amit Kalyani |
| Head Coach | Stuart Watkiss |
| League | I-League |
| 2014–15 | I-League, 11th |
| Website | Club home page |
Bharat FC was an Indian professional football team based in Pune, Maharashtra that competed in the I-League. The team was founded on 26 August 2014 by Kalyani Group as a direct-entry team into the I-League, making them the second direct-entry side in league history after Bengaluru FC. The name of the team, as well as their home stadium, the Balewadi Sports Complex, were officially announced on 23 November 2014. But after a disappointing season in I-league the franchise withdrew from 2015–16 season of the tournament.
In 2013, in a bid to increase the popularity of the I-League – India's top football league – the All India Football Federation approved the addition of teams into the league via bidding for a direct-entry slot. The first two teams to be allowed into the I-League via direct-entry were Bengaluru FC and Mumbai Tigers but only Bengaluru FC played in the 2013–14 season. Despite the failure of Mumbai Tigers, Bengaluru FC proved to be an amazing success for the I-League as the Bangalore club managed to bring in full-houses to all their matches as well as even win the league in their very first season. This thus made the AIFF announce that they would be accepting bids for new direct-entry teams for the 2014–15 season. On 26 August 2014, after the AIFF reviewed the bidders, they announced that Kalyani Group had won the right to start a direct-entry club for the 2014–15 season.
After winning the bid for the team, in November 2014, Kalyani Group signed their first ever head coach for the football team in former Wolverhampton Wanderers player Stuart Watkiss. Kalyani Group then signed their first ever player on 10 November 2014 when New Zealand international Kris Bright signed for the club. After making their first signings, the Kalyani Group officially announced the name of the club on 23 November 2014 as Bharat FC.
...
Wikipedia